


Getting to Know You

by CrushItWithABrick



Series: How We Get There (Extras) [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adoption, Alien Character(s), Alien Culture, Cultural Differences, Culture Shock, F/M, Gen, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Post-Canon, hunk has a family, hunk has become balmeran, hunk is a good father, hunk lives on balmera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 03:41:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushItWithABrick/pseuds/CrushItWithABrick
Summary: Hunk's preparing his newly adopted daughters to meet his family, and take their first trip to Earth.  (and struggles with now being the father of teenagers and toddlers)
Relationships: Hunk & Hunk's Family (Voltron), Hunk/Shay, hunk & original child character(s)
Series: How We Get There (Extras) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1456306
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Getting to Know You

“Children?” Joon peers at the photos on the data pad then looks up at Hunk. He’s excited that she, and her younger sister Prax, are genuinely interested in seeing photos of his family. Now, their family. He and Shay had agreed, it was better to wait and let the girls get used to them, or more precisely, Hunk. The first human they had ever encountered. The first human pretty much any Balmeran had ever encountered.

“Yes. . .” Hunk looks at the photo to see who she’s pointing at. “My niece, Maya. She’s the same age as you and my nephew, Caleb. He’s a year younger.”

“All humans have hair, right?” Prax asks. Of the four girls, she’s the most curious about all things human.

“For the most part, yeah. I mean, sometimes people are bald, like. . .” He points to his father in the photo. “My father used to have more hair but as he got older it fell out.” Both girls look at him with shock and a mix of horror and Hunk quickly adds. “Oh, not like in a bad way. It doesn’t hurt or. . .it just slowly stops growing.” He racks his brain for a Balmeran equivalent and comes up woefully short. “It’s totally normal,” he adds.

“I like hair,” Prax says.

“Me too,” Joon agrees. “Look, Prax, it has different colors.”

Joon points at the screen again, to Hunk’s mother.

“Like stone,” Prax says. “Very pretty.”

“Hair changes color as humans get older,” Hunk offers. “My mother used to have black hair but now it’s gray. . .or she likes to say silver.”

“When will your hair change?” Joon asks as she eyes Hunk’s hair. “Does it always turn to stone?”

“For a lot of people, yeah, it turns gray or silver or white. But sometimes it doesn’t turn at all.”

“Sometimes it goes away,” Prax giggles and adds. “Maybe your hair will go away and you’ll be more Balmeran, with no hair.”

“Not for a while, I’m not that old, you know. Going bald and gray is more for older humans. . .like older than me, uh. . .elders.”

“Oh. . .” Both girls give a reverent sigh and nod. 

“Caleb and Maya,” Joon carefully enunciates their names as she points to each of them. “And your mother and father? What are their names?”

“My mom is Soma but everyone calls her Sugar because she’s so sweet.”

“She tastes sweet?” Joon frowns at him and Prax shakes her head.

“No, Joon. It means she’s sweet like everyone likes her like everyone likes sap, or sugar. Remember, sugar is like the human word for sap.” She looks at Hunk for confirmation.

“Exactly,” Hunk nods. “Earth does have sap but it’s not like Balmeran sap. . .” Hunk catches himself starting to ramble. “Everyone likes my mom because she’s really nice.” He points at his father. “Roberto but everyone calls him Bert because it’s shorter to say. He’s nice, too, like my mom and everyone likes him, well, except for this one neighbor but. . .” Hunk catches himself again. “Sugar and Bert,” he says with a nod to the data pad.

“Greatmother Sugar and greatfather Bert” Joon says to Prax in an authoritative tone. 

“Grandmother and grandfather,” Prax counters with the human terms and a slightly sassy tone. She points at the photo again.

“Maya and Caleb’s father?”

Hunk looks at the image of his uncle and feels a pang of sadness.

“No, he’s my uncle Henry. Maya and Caleb’s father died in the war.” Hunk sighs. “Their mother, too.”

“Oh. . .” The girls sigh in unison again. 

Joon nods and puts her arm over Prax’s shoulders. In turn, Prax reaches her arm out and worms it as best she can behind Hunk. Hunk feels the gentle vibrations running from the Balmera itself and up and through both girls. A hug from the Balmera via his daughters.. It’s a sign that Hunk really is accepted by them, that they ask the Balmera to help them heal Hunk’s emotional pain. Hunk feels his eyes sting and he puts his arm over Prax’s shoulders to lay atop Joon’s. He gives Joon’s arm a squeeze, the best he can do to reciprocate the gesture given how they are seated (and his inability to feed the vibrations back to them, a skill he’s trying to develop but, being human, it’s a very long and difficult process that might never come to him).

The moment passes quickly and Prax flips to a different photo.

“More children!” Joon’s arm pulls away and she takes the data pad and pulls it closer to herself.

“Joon,” Prax huffs then gives Hunk an expression very close to an eyeroll. Hunk smiles. “Being broody is no excuse for being selfish.” She nudges her sister and Joon reluctantly shares the data pad again.

Broody. Hunk’s familiar with the term but still wrapping his mind around the fact that he’s now the father of a teenage girl in the throws of puberty. And, at twelve years old, Prax isn’t far behind her sister on the puberty front. 

“Look,” Joon says. “They are small children. Smaller than Maya and Caleb.” She looks at Hunk. “Who are they?”

“The little ones are my nephews, Andy and Charlie. Andy has the black hair and. . .” Hunk peers at the photo. “That’s their father. . .”

“Paladins,” Prax says. 

Almost every Balmeran child has heard stories about Voltron and the Paladins and that the Yellow Paladin, a human, lives on the Balmera. Hunk’s not the only human to visit the Balmera but he is the only one in recorded history to be blessed by the Balmera, making Hunk a true Balmeran and a huge novelty.

“Yeah, that’s Shiro and Lance and. . .uh. . .” Hunk flips to the next photo then flips again. “There’s Keith, with Charlie and. . .”

“What is that?” Joon recoils from the image and pulls Prax away, too. Prax resists her sister’s reaction and tries to pull the data pad closer.

“What. . .” Hunk looks at the image. Keith laughing at Charlie as the little boy kisses a black kitten.

“Don’t look at it, Prax, it’s a. . .” 

“No it’s not,” Prax says with a dismissive tone. She looks at Hunk. “Is it?”

“No, it’s not.” Hunk is careful not to say the word that loosely translates to ‘demon’. “That’s Dizzy. She’s a cat. She’s a pet. . .uh. . .humans keep animals as pets, like a companion.”

“A slave?” Joon looks repulsed. Hunk’s not surprised by her reaction. There aren’t animals on the Balmera. No one keeps lower species in a domestic setting, like livestock or pets. The closest they come is harvesting the wide variety of insect like creatures from the vast networks of caves. Each species of insect has a particular use and tightly controlled harvesting season along with rituals, myths, and celebrations. But the Balmeran’s are familiar with being kept against their will, having been enslaved by the Galra during the war and forced to harvest crystals to the detriment of the Balmera itself. 

“No. . .oh, no, not like that, Joon. Dizzy likes living with them and they take care of her and no one makes her do anything she doesn’t want to.” Hunk laughs as he remembers complaints he’s heard from Keith about Dizzy, all of them very similar to complaints Shiro has had about Cosmo. Destroying personal property, stealing food from their plates, or getting up on the counters and tables. “They love Dizzy and she is a member of the family. They also have a. . .well, dog I guess I’ll call him. . .”

Hunk flips through the photos and stops on one with Cosmo holding down Andy to lick him as the little boy laughs.

“That’s Cosmo,” he says as he shows them the photo.

“Space wolf. . .” Prax sighs the words then looks at her sister. “I told you they were real!”

Joon gives a little pout at her sister being proven right but she’s also clearly excited.

“Have you touched it?” Joon asks Hunk.

“He likes to sit on laps,” Hunk replies.. “He also gives kisses and he’s even teleported me a few times but I can’t say I really liked that. . .”

“He carried you?” Hunk nods as Prax continues. “Would he carry me?”

“Prax!” Joon gasps. “You can’t be carried by a space wolf. It’s unsafe.”

“No it’s not,” Prax counters. “He carried Hunk and. . .”

“He said he didn’t like it.”

“That doesn’t mean it was unsafe,” Prax retorts. “Imagine what it’s like, Joon, to. . . teleport.”

Hunk notices Prax’s use of his term ‘teleport’ over ‘carried’. He’s noticed that before, Prax’s ease at accepting human expressions. Despite her protests of it being unsafe, Hunk can see the spark of excitement in Joon’s eyes.

“It’s safe,” he offers. “Once he’s familiar with you, I’m sure he would teleport you. He teleports Andy and Charlie all the time.”

“See,” Prax says to her sister. “Little human children teleport. It’s safe.” She looks at Hunk. “Will we see him?”

“I can’t promise because he does have two homes. He also lives with Kolivan and Krolia. . .” Hunk flips through the photos and stops on an image of them. Both girls gasp and Joon scowls.

“He lives with. . .” She hesitates and scowls at Prax. “I was right, he’s not safe. You are not to touch him, ever. He’s. . .he’s one of. . .” A dark shadow of fear and sadness clouds Joon’s face.

“Oh. . .it’s ok, Joon. I’m sorry, I forgot. . .Kolivan and Krolia are Galra but they aren’t bad, like the Galra. . .”

“They killed father,” Joon whispers. Prax’s arm immediately slips around her sister. Hunk reaches for her as well to offer a squeeze to her shoulder.

“They didn’t,” Prax says as she points to the photo. “We have to be fair and just, Joon. We have to learn about them.” She looks at Hunk. “Tell us about them?”

Hunk isn’t surprised by Prax’s reaction. While he’s only known the girls for a few months, it was obvious very quickly that Prax is the foil to her older sister, sometimes being contrary simply for the fun of upsetting her older sister.

“Kolivan and Krolia head the Blade of Marmora. Have you learned about them?” Both girls shake their heads to the negative. Hunk refrains from giving a frustrated huff. He’s noticed it and so has Shay. The Balmeran education system is, to put it lightly, very disorganized bordering on non-existant. It’s just one of the basic infrastructures the Balmerans still struggle to rebuild (or in some cases, build) in the wake of the Galra invasion. It’s made even more complicated with the lack of promised help from the larger coalitions, in particular the Galaxy Garrison. “They always fought against the Galra, like the ones that came and hurt the Balmera. They helped win the war,” he says. 

Prax stares at him but Joon continues to stare at the photo. He sees the twinkle of tears in her eyes and Prax turns from him and envelopes her sister in a full hug. Hunk feels tears sting his own eyes. He gets up and goes to Joon’s opposite side and gently takes the data pad from her hands and embraces her.

“I know, Joon,” he says, his tears now freely flowing. “It hurts to remember bad things. . .I know. I’m sorry that happened to you and Prax and. . .I’m sorry, I didn’t think about Kolivan and Krolia. . .that they would scare you. I promise, they are kind and would never hurt you or your sisters or the Balmera.” He hugs her again then sits back. He wipes at his face and smiles at her. He grabs the data pad again and flips through the photos. “That photo. . .yeah, they look kind of really Galra-ish I guess but. . .” He stops on an old photo, Kolivan and Krolia seated on a sofa, each holding a tiny infant. Their grandsons. Krolia is grinning at Keith while Kolivan stares down at infant Charlie with a look of pure love. He offers the data pad to Joon. She looks at it then shifts so Prax can better see.

“Infants,” Prax says to her. “Joon, do you see?”

“Andy and Charlie when they were only a few weeks old. . .I think they weren’t much older than that. Krolia is their grandmother. . .” He nods as Joon looks up at him, her eyes wide. “Yes,” he nods. “And Kolivan is. . .well, he’s like. . .no, he is their grandfather.”

“Who is her child?” Joon asks. 

“Oh. . .Keith. Keith’s her son. She fought to help protect him, to protect everyone. And Kolivan, he had a wife and daughter. . .a long time ago. . .and they all fought and. . .”

“They died?” Prax asks. Hunk feels a sting of sadness at how casually the little girl says the word, how familiar she is with death and loss.

“Yes, his wife and his daughter died together, fighting to save a planet from being destroyed.”

“They are heroes,” Prax says to Joon.

“They fought with you?” Joon asks him. Hunk nods.

“Sort of. . .yes. . .I mean.” Hunk pauses and takes a deep breath. “We all fought together to defeat Zarkon’s army and now Kolivan, Krolia, and Keith work to heal all the damage that was done.”

Joon nods and looks at the photo again.

“Kolivan and Krolia.” She says the names slowly. “They are your friends?”

“Yes,” Hunk replies without hesitation.

Joon nods.

“They still scare me but I will be fair.” She wipes her cheeks and takes the data pad. She hovers her finger over the screen then pauses and looks at Hunk. “Are there more. . .like them in the photos?”

“Uh. . .maybe. Yeah. . .” Hunk thinks about Zethrid, Ezor, and Acxa. Zethrid in particular with her very Galran appearance, large and intimidating and given to scowling.. “But they are friends, too,” Hunk finishes.

“I don’t want to see them,” Joon says as she hands the data pad to Hunk. “Please don’t show them to me.”

“Ok. . .yeah, I totally understand. I’m really sorry you were scared, Joon. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know,” Joon says to him. She pauses then gives him a little smile. “Shay would not want to pair with you if you weren’t kind. I like you, Hunk.”

The wave of emotion that rushes through Hunk takes his breath away. He knows Joon likes him, it’s obvious by her actions but she’s never said it before. It’s every bit as exciting to hear as a profession of love. He longs for all four of the girls to say they love him but he knows it will take time. For now, ‘like’ is perfect. Like is the best word Hunk has ever heard.

Prax had been the first to say it, not long after Shay and Hunk had met the girls, back when they were still being cared for in the cobbled together foster system. Thanks to the Galra invasion, the Balmeran’s were faced with a new challenge. How to care for so many children whose families had been destroyed. Before the war, children whose parents had died due to illness or accident (or the rare abandoned child) were automatically taken in by their extended family. But with so many families fractured and even destroyed completely with the Galra invasion there were more children then families to care for them. These children were housed together together while foster caregivers rotated among them, each spending a few days to a few months living with them and caring for them. Occasionally, children would be adopted out of the foster system, usually by paired couples who, for any number of reasons, weren’t able to conceive children of their own. Paired couples like Shay and Hunk.

Like other adoptive couples Shay and Hunk were required to volunteer in the system, to make a connection with a child, or children, before taking them into their family. Joon, Prax, Baly and May were the first kids Shay and Hunk met. They joined the girls in the small house where they lived together. A month at first, taking care of the kids and getting to know them. Joon took to Shay immediately, drawn to Shay’s young age compared to the other foster caregivers who circulated through the system. Joon had opened up to Shay, telling her things she’d never shared with any of her caregivers. Hunk had cried when Shay told him how Joon, at only ten years old, had witnessed her father’s murder at the hands of the Galra and, how only two years later, had lost her mother to a disease outbreak that killed numerous other Balmerans. Shay remembered the outbreak and the personal loss she suffered from it, losing three members of her own extended family.

“I love them,” Shay had said to him. Hunk nodded in agreement.

“I do, too.”

They had only known the girls for two months, but they were certain. They wanted to adopt the girls but worried the girls might not feel the same. Their worries were swept away only a few days later when the two little girls, May and Baly, crept into Shay and Hunk’s room.

“Mama!” The two little girls greeted Shay, leaping onto the tiny bed with Shay and Hunk. After hugging her, they looked at Hunk and started to giggle.

“He’s sleepy,” May said to Baly.

“Sleepy Hunky,” Baly replied.

Hunk smiles at the memory. May and Baly are still confused by him and refuse to believe he is Balmeran like them. He’s a novelty to them, like a pet that learned to speak. But, he reminds himself, they are only five years old. And, it could be worse. They could be afraid of him or want nothing to do with him.

“Prax. . .no!” 

Hunk is shaken from his memories as Joon covers her face with her hands and pushes the data pad away from herself.

“It’s just Kolivan and Krolia,” Prax says, a hint of annoyance in her tone. She flips to another photo, pauses, then tips the data pad away from Joon. She looks over at Hunk and he gets up and sits beside her. “Who’s that?” she asks.

Hunk looks at the photo of Zethrid carrying Andy and Charlie, one under each arm. She’s smiling but still looks very Galran, with her intimidating stature and bluish complexion. Hunk appreciates that Prax is protecting Joon from the image.

“Her name is Zethrid,” Hunk replies. “She’s Andy and Charlie’s aunt.”

“Krolia’s sister?”

Hunk chuckles at the thought of Krolia and Zethrid being related. Krolia tolerates Zethrid only for Keith’s, and now her grandsons’, sake.

“No. . .she’s their aunt like I’m their uncle.”

“Chosen. . .adopted aunt,” Prax says.

“Yeah, I guess you’d call it that.” Hunk’s never thought of it that way but it’s the perfect way to explain it. “Yeah,” he adds. “Just like that.”

“She loves them,” Prax says as she stares at the photo. She looks at Hunk and asks. “Is she a hero? Like Krolia and Kolivan and you?”

Hunk thinks about the path Zethrid, and Ezor, took to get where they are now, how they did what they had to do to survive the war and how, now, they work to heal the damage.

“Yes,” he says. “She works with Keith and her partner, Ezor. They help rebuild damaged planets. And she does love them. . .Charlie and Andy. They are lucky to have her as their aunt.”

Hunk notices Joon watching them. He smiles at her.

“It’s ok, she would understand you being scared but I promise, she won’t hurt you.”

“Will we meet them when we go to Earth to meet great. . .” Prax catches herself. “Grandmother Sugar and grandfather Bert and Maya and. . .” Her brow furrows as she thinks.

“Caleb and uncle Henry,” Joon says for her.

“Yes,” Prax nods at her sister. “And the Paladins and. . .”

“Charlie and Andy,” Joon offers.

Prax nods again then gets a huge grin on her face.

“Cosmo and. . .what is it called again? It looks like an inqui.”

“Prax, don’t ever say that,” Joon hisses. “They can hear. . .”

“You still believe scary child’s stories, Joon?” Prax chuckles at her sister. “Hunk said it’s not an. . .”

“Don’t say it,” Joon snaps.

“Do you mean the cat?” He asks Prax even though it’s obvious she’s just taunting her sister.

“Yes, cat. Do they all look like. . .” She grins at Hunk and waits for Joon to stop her. When she doesn’t, Prax slowly starts. “. . .iiih.”

“Prax, that’s not funny!”

Prax laughs then quickly says.

“I won’t say it.” Something about the glint in her eye tells Hunk she will. Maybe not right now, but soon. It reminds him of his older brother, Ray, how he’d tease Hunk, back when they were kids, back before Hunk left to study at the Garrison, before he ended up a Paladin, before a war he’d never intended to be a part of took the lives of so many beings on so many planets.

“Her name is Dizzy,” Hunk says. “And, no, all cats aren’t black. They come in a lot of colors.”

“Dizzy,” Prax repeats. He can still see the devilish gleam in her eyes and can’t deny her the pleasure she will get when, later, she taunts her older sister, getting the better of her for just a moment.

Hunk glances at Joon and circles back to her question.

“I don’t know if you’ll meet Zethrid or Ezor. . .though usually if you meet one you meet them both, they are always together.” He pauses to stop his rambling. “They travel a lot and I don’t know their schedule. But they do like meeting new babies, so. . .” He trails off and sees the surprise on Joon’s face.

“There’s an infant?”

“Not yet,” Hunk says. “But there will be. Lance is pregnant and the new baby should be about a month old by the time we visit.”

“A baby. . .” Joon repeats with a sigh. Prax snickers and shakes her head at her older sister.

“You’re so weird.”

Joon scowls at her.

“Be quiet, Prax.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Prax snaps back.

“Don’t yell at me,” Joon snaps in return.

“Girls, you don’t need to argue. . .please.” Hunk’s witnessed their scraps before but didn’t have to deal with it alone. He hopes to defuse this one quickly to avoid tears.

“Prax is trying to be mean to me,” Joon counters. “I’m older, she should respect me.”

“You’re not that much older and you’re not mature. You haven’t even gone to a clutch yet so. . .”

Joon recoils as if slapped and her eyes start to shine with tears. Hunk realizes he’s not going to get lucky, this has just escalated, and quickly.

“You are mean,” she whines then adds. “And you have crooked horns.”

“Shut up, Joon!” Prax roars back then storms from the room.

Hunk stares at the fleeing Prax then at Joon as she breaks into loud sobs. He sighs and slides closer to her and puts his arm around her shoulders. He’s learned, over the years he’s been with Shay and living on Balmera, that what Prax said to Joon is a very big insult. At fifteen years old, Joon should have joined her mother and other adult female family members in their clutch. Clutches help strengthen the bonds between the women which, in turn, strengthens the bond of the entire family. But the war had taken that from Joon, from all four girls.

“I will. . .” Joon sniffles. “. . .have a clutch. . .Shay and greatmother Oro and. . .”

The girls had been immediately accepted by Shay’s family, but Joon hadn’t yet been brought into the clutch. Shay has never refused to answer any of Hunk’s questions about Balmeran culture or customs, but she’s never really delved into what goes on in the clutch. Not that Hunk has ever asked for details. He’s content to know the basics, like most other Balmeran men, and to let the women have their private gatherings and rituals.

“They are so excited, too,” Hunk says. “They love you and Prax loves you and I love you, too.”

Joon takes a deep breath and wipes at her face then looks up and past Hunk.

“Joon, what’s wrong?”

Hunk turns to see Shay, a crying May in her arms and Baly at her heel.

“Joon. . .” Baly goes to her older sister. “Don’t cry. Mama is back.” She pats her sister’s leg. 

Shay sits next to Joon and Joon slides away from Hunk to hug her. Baly looks from Shay and Joon to Hunk and gives him a smile. He notices the tear stains on her face and opens his arms to her. She rubs at her face and giggles and climbs up next to her sister and hugs her side, never taking her eyes from Hunk.

“You’re silly,” she says to him. She giggles again and rubs her face against her sister. Joon wraps her arm around her little sister and Hunk looks over at Shay. She gives him a smile and a sigh.

“So many tears,” he says. “Was everything ok at their check up?”

“Yes, they’re perfectly fine. They just didn’t like it very much,” Shay replies. She gives Joon a squeeze. “What happened?” she asks.

“Prax was so mean. . .” Joon whimpers to her. “I was mean back and the photos. . .there were. . .Krolia and. . .” Joon’s voice devolves into sobbing.

“Oh. . .” Shay sighs. “It’s ok. You can apologize to Prax and she can apologize to you. Everything will be ok.” She soothes Joon with one arm while still cuddling May with the other.

“Are you ok? I’m going to. . .” Hunk points in the direction Prax fled then gets up as Shay nods.

He goes back to the room Prax shares with all her sisters. It’s small and crowded, like the rest of the house, and Hunk wishes for nothing more than to pack them up and move them out that very minute. But the house he and Shay share is even smaller, not much more than a one bedroom apartment, and the new house being constructed by her family, to celebrate the addition to their family, won’t be finished for several months. Plenty of time for them to visit Earth. Hunk’s nervous and excited for the trip and had hoped to make a surprise call to his parents so they could talk with the children for the first time since the adoption had been made official. But now, with everyone upset and crying, he’s not sure that will happen.

“Prax. . .” he nudges the door open and she looks up at him. “May I come in?”

She nods and he joins her on the narrow bed.

“I know,” she sighs. “What I said was mean but she was mean, too.” She huffs and stares at the data pad. “I know I’m ugly, I don’t need her to tell me.”

“Prax. . .you’re not ugly.”

She looks up at him and he can see she had been crying, too. 

“I’m skinny and my tail is short and I do have stupid twisted horns.” She jabs at the small horns on her head and sighs. She pokes at the pads on the sides of her jaw, where her other horns will come in as she gets a little older. “Maybe these ones will be twisted too and they can up and stab my head and I’ll die.”

“Prax!” Hunk’s heart breaks at the expression on her face. “Don’t say things like that. You are pretty.”

Prax gives him a little shake of her head and a sigh. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “I can be ugly because I’m not going to stay here and get paired and raise babies. I’m going to fly a ship and go to other planets, like you and the Paladins.” She grins at him. “I’m so excited to go to Earth. Can we go right now?”

“Not until we get all the health clearances and documents for you and your sisters.” Prax gives a little huff and Hunk smiles at her. “But, we can talk to everyone and get to know them while we wait.” Prax grins as Hunk continues. “We could surprise grandma Sugar and grandpa Bert. ..”

“Right now?” Prax sits up, her face bright with excitement.

“After you apologize to Joon.”

Prax gets up and heads to the door then pauses as Hunk gets up to follow.

“I’m sorry,” she says to him. “For being mean to Joon. We were having fun. . .all together. . .and I ruined it.”

“It’s ok,” Hunk says to her. She grabs him in a tight hug and he feels tears prick his eyes as he hugs her back. “I love you Prax,” he says. “You, Joon, May, and Baly.”

“Even though May and Baly act weird to you?” Prax teases. 

“They’re young and, well. . .I guess I am kind of weird looking with my hair and. . .”

“Nose,” Prax adds. “Noses are very weird.”

She laughs and Hunk gives her another hug before letting her go.

“Noses aren’t weird. . .” He lifts his nose up with his thumb and makes a face at her. Prax bursts out laughing as he adds. “. . .are they?”

“Prax!’ May runs to them when they get back to the living room. Except for her blotchy face, Hunk would never have guessed she was crying only a few minutes earlier. She hugs Prax and giggles at Hunk. 

Prax leans closer to her little sister and whispers to her. May looks up at Hunk then at Prax. 

“Really?” she says. Prax nods and May continues to stare at Hunk. She giggles and slaps at her sister. “No. . .Prax you’re silly.”

She races ahead of them and Prax sighs.

“She really wanted to,” Prax says. She looks at Hunk. “I promise she’ll give you a hug. Baly, too. They like you they’re just. . .” Prax sighs again. 

“Five years old.” Hunk offers.

Prax snickers.

“Little children,” she sighs. She gives Hunk another hug then goes to where Joon is sitting with Shay and Baly. Hunk takes a few steps closer then pauses.

“I’m sorry I was mean and made you cry, Joon,” Prax says. Hunk can see the younger girl’s eyes are wet with tears and feels his own eyes prickle as well.

“I’m sorry I was mean to you, too,” Joon replies. She sniffles and grabs Prax and hugs her.

Hunk doesn’t even try to stifle his own tears. He lets them roll down his cheeks as he watches Joon make space for Prax between her and Shay.

“Guess what?” she says to her sisters once May has settled on Joon’s lap and Baly on her’s. “We’re going to surprise grandma Sugar and grandpa Bert.” Hunk smiles to himself hearing her refer to them as “grandma” and “pa”. 

“You know,” Joon starts, her focus on Baly and May. “Everyone calls grandmother Sugar because she is sweet, like sap.”

“I want sap snaps,” Baly says.

“Dad will make us some later,” Prax says. Hunk’s heartbeat races at what she’s said. Another first. Prax, Joon, and Shay all turn to look back at him. Shay has tears in her eyes and her face is awash in happiness as she grins at him. He grins back and grabs the comm pad.

“Yeah, you can help me make sap snaps after we call grandma and grandpa. They’re going to be so surprised and happy to meet their granddaughters.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I just realized I have a lot of thoughts about the Balmera and Balmerans and Balmeran culture and anatomy and. . .yeah, just all that.
> 
> Short version: The Balmerans are a family driven society that is kind of clan-like but trying to take on a more centralized government but that's a huge change. Women have the most control in the family unit, so it is a kind of matriarchal society (so to speak). Balmerans can not reproduce with humans due to the "reversed" male/female reproductive roles (Balmeran females still gestate offspring but the male is the one who has the egg, which they release into the female who fertilizes it then gestates it and then gives birth. . .kind of a mammalian/lizard hybrid where the offspring grows in the egg but it's a leathery egg that, by the time the offspring is delivered, is very much like a placental sack and less like a leathery egg shell).
> 
> The Balmerans do feel and communicate with the Balmera and, in a way, each other but it's not a "hive mind" type thing . Balmerans are individuals with their own private thoughts/desires. The Balmera doesn't control them (or read their minds or anything like that).
> 
> Ok, all that said, how does this tie into "How We Get There"?
> 
> Hunk and Shay adopt their children right around the time Lance is pregnant with the trio's third child (a boy they will name Jack). Hunk's youngest daughters are approximately the same age as Andy and Charlie (the trio's older boys).
> 
> The girls are: Joon (15), Prax (12), May (5), Baly (5)


End file.
